Venus figures from Petersfels

Panorama of the Petersfels site.

Photo: Unknown

This appears to be a highly detailed painting of the site during the ice ages,given the fields of bare rocks, the lack of trees, the stunted appearance of the vegetation, and the lack of modern structures.

The Petersfels site near Engen, Germany. The fence above the cave defines the edge of a walking trail.

Photo: Bernhard Kalemba, via Panoramio

Scene during the late Palaeolithic, circa 12 000 BP, at Petersfels

During the Palaeolithic Age people lived, contrary to the usual conception, only rarely in caves. Rather, they lived in tent-like huts in the open countryside. The inaccurate picture of the people as cave dwellers originated from the fact that the prehistoric finds were mostly in caves which were protected from natural erosion, and therefore they were preserved there more frequently.

In the case of the Petersfeld archaeological site - due to the narrow spatial proportions - the small cave there could have served as a forecourt or workshop rather than as a place of residence. This is also confirmed by the large number of flints, bones and antler remains recovered here.

In addition to tools, there were also small, highly stylised female figures made of jet and animal bones. They testify to the artistic skills of the ice age hunters at the end of the Palaeolithic period.

This is labelled as a decorated rod, but there is a curious shaping at the right end in this image which looks like the remains of a hole, as in a pierced baton.

Yet the rod is not really wide enough at that point to support much stress being placed on the hole. Pierced rods are an enigma, with multiple original usages proposed, but including the straightening of spear shafts.

Rondelle, with radii carved into the surface. The other marks may be natural cracking of the material.

( I believe that rondelles are weights for spindles used for spinning yarn. Some sources say that they are decorations or buttons to be sewn onto clothing, but they are much too big to be a button, and if they were sewn onto a garment there would normally be two holes for ease of attachment - Don )

( note the 'bump' on the base of the top harpoon, leading to a cone shaped section, and the similar asymmetric bumps and cone on the lower harpoon. The cones fitted into a socket on the shaft of the harpoon, and the bumps were there to facilitate the tying of the harpoon to the shaft, which presumably had similar bump/s, or perhaps a groove, to secure the twine or sinew onto the shaft - Don )

One of the most important Palaeolithic sites in Central Europe with an enormous number of important artefacts.
It was a settlement site of the Magdalenian (late Upper Paleolithic), with many layers, towards the end of the last ice age, during the period 15 500-14 000 years BP.

The main activity here was reindeer hunting in autumn.

Excavations from 1927 to 1932 by E. Peters and from 1974 to 1979 by G. Albert.

Recreation of the scene at Petersfels ca 14 000 BP, with the inhabitants living in tents in a treeless tundra steppe environment, with a marshy area below.

During the Palaeolithic, people rarely lived in caves. This incorrect picture of cave dwellers resulted from the fact that the prehistoric finds in caves are more easily found, and are protected in the caves. In the case of Petersfels, the cramped conditions meant that there were a large number of flints, bone and antler remains concentrated in the area. In addition to tools, there were also small, stylised female figurines made of jet, as well as carved animal images on bone and antler.

This is from the well known and excellent Palaeolithic blog by Katzman, with a large number of resources for those interested in the stone age:

This is a picture of the Petersfels cave, a large Magdalenian site in S/W-Germany, which I was lucky to visit in the very hot summer of 2003. It is a cave, slightly above the valley floor, with a large, well-preserved living area in the front. What makes this place interesting is the fact, that archaeologists and archaeobotanists from the University of Tubingen and Hohenheim recreated the archaeobotany conditions of the late Pleistocene in the vicinity of the cave. The forest at Petersfels was cleared, and a Late-glacial vegetation landscape of tundra steppe was reconstructed, including even an artificial bog in front of the Petersfels site.

Excavations in the 1970s confirmed that this area was an important one for ice age hunters, as it formed a narrow corridor for the migration of reindeer in autumn.

As well as the venus figures, tools and one and a half tons of animal bones were excavated. It was decided to try to recreate the environment of the people who once hunted reindeer here.

Archaeologists from the University of Tuebingen recreated the Archaeobotany of Tübingen and Hohenheim: the forest at Petersfels was cleared, and in its place, late-glacial vegetation landscape of tundra steppe was reconstructed, including an artificial bog in front of the Petersfels site.

The area was dedicated in 2003 as the 'Engen Ice Age Park' and thus was created the 'Late ice age landscape experience.'

The park is open all year round free of charge and is easily accessible.

The 'Venus of Engen' or 'Frauenidol von Engen', bears a remarkable resemblance to the Venus of Neuchâtel, especially since it is also made of jet. This important find from Petersfels can be seen in the Städtischen Museum Engen + Galerie. The date given is 15 000 BP. The height is 38 mm.

This venus was found during the excavations of 1927 and 1928, and the highly stylised figure is determined to be female just from the very expansive buttocks.

Petersfels Venus, or 'Venus of Engen' or 'Frauenidol von Engen', the same as in the photos above. This is the one which was used as the basis for the large white statue on the Petersfels walking trail.

The Petersfels walking trail, with points of interest well signposted. The statue above may be discerned in the lower centre of this image. The site itself is below the man in the orange shirt, hidden by the steep slope.

The Brudertal, or Brother Valley, in which Petersfels is located. The site may be seen in the right centre of the image.

Photo: herba via Panoramio.

Petersfels, Germany, circa 15 000 BP - 12 000 BP

Rock crystal (quartz) tools from the Upper Palaeolithic.

Rock crystal requires specialised techniques to knap, and the bipolar technique is often used. This involves an impactor striking the top of the core which rests on an anvil, with flakes being initiated from both ends of the core.

Rock crystal is sometimes used for large pieces and for microliths, but it often does not break in the consistent way that good flint does. While many of the flakes made from rock crystal are usable, they are difficult to retouch.

It is classified as macrocrystalline, as opposed to microcrystalline for materials such as flint and chalcedony.

More photographs of sites and venuses are always welcome!
If you would like a particular archaeological site to be covered here, if you have questions or comments, or if you have any photographs or information which would be useful for Don's Maps please contact Don Hitchcock at don@donsmaps.com

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